ISLAMABAD - The rift between JUI-F and PML-Q over leading the greater opposition alliance had reportedly sabotaged the JUI-F- sponsored initiative to bring the opposition parties together on one platform, it is learnt on Friday. Insiders in the JUI-F accuse the parochial political ambitions of the PML-Q to broker a backdoor deal with the government, as a major contributing factor to the failure of JUI-Fs initiatives to form a united opposition. In response to this, the PML-Q leaders say the JUI-F chief wanted to head a greater opposition alliance in order to bargain with the government and it was the unjustified stance of JUI-F with regard to leading the opposition parties alliance that had sunk the much dreamed of ship of forming a strong, dynamic, aggressive and active opposition. When we responded to the JUI-Fs call and participated in all those political meet-ups that aimed to create a large opposition alliance, we never knew that these initiatives were personally motivated, a PML-Q Senator believed. The JUI-F chief was playing personal. All he wanted was the chairmanship or president-ship, or whatever you may call it, of the opposition parties grand alliance to dictate his own terms, he said. The JUI-F had lost ministries and its share in government. It desperately needed a breakthrough. By leading a larger opposition alliance, any leader could be in a position to come on dictating terms with government, The Nation was told. Reportedly, the JUI-F had put up this demand with regard to heading the opposition alliance during a meeting with the PML-Q top brass in Lahore on the last March 5. The PML-Q leadership is reported to have turned down the JUI-F demand, arguing that the Q-League was a major party with more seats in the parliament compared to JUI-F and it was the partys right to lead opposition alliance. Both the parties, after failing to reach a compromise, parted ways, with Q-League, finally set to go for the treasury benches alongside MQM. The JUI-Fs unofficial version in this regard is that the PML-Q was brokering a backdoor deal with the government and it was not in a mood to join opposition parties altogether. The backdoor deal was in progress thats why PML-Q adopted an adamant stance. Almost every mainstream political party was represented in the Islamabads gathering on March 4. We went to Lahore with a positive frame of mind the next day but the response of PML-Q leadership caught us with surprise. They put unjustified conditions even before any alliance was formed and kept dismissing our arguments on one pretext or the other like they demanded that PML-Q would lead the opposition alliance, it would deal with the government from the oppositions side, its leaders would be mandated with powers to convene sessions of oppositions alliance meetings etc, JUI-F leaders said adding that the 'insincerity of Q-league sabotaged JUI-F efforts. It is also learnt that PML-N was kept out of loop with regard to the deliberations on creation of a united oppositions because both the JUI-F and PML-Q leaders believed that the PML-N would never accept to be led by a leader from another opposition party. Although, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had attended March 4 dinner held in Islamabad at Fazl-ur-Rehmans residence and some other PML-N leaders like Khawaja Saad Rafique and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi were reportedly supporting JUI-F efforts to form a strong opposition alliance, the PML-N top brass did not pay much heed to the JUI-F call for the opposition parties to join hands and the opposition parties were convinced not to engage PML-N and smaller parties like Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the aforesaid deliberations.